What To Know
Electronics are only one of the many different consumables that are very difficult to recycle, but what exactly makes them this hard to recycle?
The Effects of Recycling
Recycling different "hard to recycle" items has a much greater impact than you would think. While most people think of this as just getting items out of landfills and helping the environment, recycling these items also creates a circular economy. The circular economy helped increase the efforts of recycling as demand then grows for usable items, and creates more demand as more items are saved from the trash.
What Makes It So Difficult to Recycle?
Many Electronics and similar items are created using materials that are harder to dispose of properly. materials like heavy metals aren't easily removable from electronics without human interaction. This would be fine if many heavy metals didn't cause irreversible damage to human bodies when in prolonged contact. , Many electronics contain high levels of contaminants such as lead, mercury, beryllium, thallium, cadmium and arsenic, and also brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polychlorinated biphenyls which all have disastrous effects on the human body.
why we need to recycle
Many Electronics and similar items are created using materials that are harder to dispose of properly. materials like heavy metals aren't easily removable from electronics without human interaction. This would be fine if many heavy metals didn't cause irreversible damage to human bodies when in prolonged contact.
Consider Your Needs
Think about what you want and what purpose it serves before buying anything that is not easily able to be recycled. Is a new phone every year really necessary? Do your appliances need an upgrade, or do they work perfectly fine? Do you need a new set of clothes every time you walk into a store? Think about what your purchase may entail before completing it. This is one of the best ways to drastically reduce your e-waste contributions.